Who’s in town
Author Charles Yu, named one of the National Book Foundation’s “5 under 35” fiction writers to watch, discusses his new collection, “Sorry Please Thank You: Stories.” [6 p.m., Commonwealth Club, 595 Market St., S.F.]
Lectures
Harvey Rose: San Francisco’s independent budget and legislative analyst explains his approach and the critical need for independent analysis in the public sector. [6 p.m., Commonwealth Club, 595 Market St., S.F.]
Lawrence Baldassaro: The author of “Beyond DiMaggio” discusses the evolution of Italian-Americans in baseball. [6:30 p.m., Museo ItaloAmericano, Building C, Fort Mason, Marina Boulevard and Buchanan Street, S.F.; RSVP: (415) 673-2200]
Panel discussion: Sisters United Front for Survival, a project of Radical Women, sponsors a talk about rescinding budget cuts to CalWORKS, a welfare program for poor parents. [7 p.m., New Valencia Hall, 747 Polk St., S.F.]
Literary events
Rob Reid: The novelist talks about “Year Zero.” [7:30 p.m., Booksmith, 1644 Haight St., S.F.]
Three mystery writers: Cara Black (Aimee Leduc mystery series), Laurie R. King (Mary Russell novels) and Heather Haven (Alvarez family mysteries) discuss their work. [7 p.m., Books Inc., 74 Town and Country Village, Palo Alto]
Justin Hall: The award-winning cartoonist talks about “No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics.” [7:30 p.m., Books Inc., 2275 Market St., S.F.]
At the colleges
Stanford Jazz Festival: Pianist and violinist Victor Lin, joined by Stanford Jazz Workshop faculty, presents his “Westside Stories.” [7:30 p.m., Dinkelspiel Auditorium, Stanford University, 471 Lagunita Drive, Stanford]
Donald MacDonald: The architect and bridge designer talks about “Golden Gate Bridge: History and Design of an Icon.” [6 p.m., Mechanics’ Institute, 57 Post St., S.F.; RSVP: (415) 393-0100 or rsvp@milibrary.org]
At the public library
’Thursdays @ Noon Films’: “Milk” (2008), director Gus Van Sant’s biopic about San Francisco’s first openly gay public official, is the feature attraction. [Noon, Koret Auditorium, Main Library, 100 Larkin St., S.F.]
Meet the reptiles: “Lizard Lady” Teressa Killeen visits the library with her live reptiles. [2 p.m., Chinatown Branch, 1135 Powell St., S.F.]
Standup act: Pablo Francisco — known for funny takes on pop culture and the Comedy Central show “They Put It Out There” — opens a four-night gig at Cobb’s Comedy Club. [8 p.m., 915 Columbus Ave., S.F.]
Local activities
Poetry festival: The third San Francisco International Poetry Festival presents its kickoff party. Hosts include poets Jack Hirschman and Lawrence Ferlinghetti. [7 to 9 p.m., Kerouac Alley in North Beach, S.F.]
Comedy: Nick Kroll does stand-up. FX’s “The League,” ABC’s “Cavemen” and the film “Date Night” are some of his credits. [8 p.m., Punch Line Comedy Club, 444 Battery St., S.F.]
Moviegoing, 1939 style: The Bridge Theatre celebrates its 73rd anniversary with a screening of “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” (1939), period short films and the 1939 ticket price (30 cents). [7 p.m., 3010 Geary Blvd., S.F.]
Gitane: Chef Bridget Batson creates dishes inspired by the cuisine of Spain, Portugal, southern France and neighboring Morocco. Today, she recommends the barley-crusted rockfish. [6 Claude Lane, S.F. (415) 788-6686]
Film
Documentary: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts presents the 2011 film “Tahrir: Liberation Square,” which follows three Egyptian citizens who were involved in their country’s massive movement of street protest for political freedom. [7:30 p.m. YBCA screening room, 701 Mission St., S.F.]
Rock ’n’ roll: “Kids of Today,” a 2011 documentary in which rock critic Yves Adrien becomes an obsession for a young counterculture group, screens. [7 p.m., Roxie Theater, 3117 16th St., S.F.]
Music
Jazz artist: Guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli, one of the prime interpreters of the Great American Songbook and beyond, performs at Yoshi’s. [8 and 10 p.m., 1330 Fillmore St., S.F.]
Party
Art attack: The Asian Art Museum hosts a Matcha mixer. This month, the artist-led project Space Bi brings together 28 local artists in a friendly takeover of the museum. [5 to 9 p.m., 200 Larkin St., S.F.]
